The Opening Finals will bring top high school prospects from across the country to Nike Headquarters in Oregon beginning June 25.
Back in January, Nike announced that its annual high school football competition would return after a six-year hiatus. The Opening Finals last took place in Los Angeles but will return to its Oregon roots this week. The three-day event will be highlighted by a 7-on-7 passing competition featuring 120 players from across the United States.
The group will be broken up into teams by region with an eventual champion being named Friday.
Nike held regional events throughout the country over the course of the spring to determine the final teams. Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York City and Dallas all hosted events.
ESPN will stream Friday’s competition in Beaverton.
Thursday’s action will include combine-like testing such as a 40-yard dash and position drills. There will also be one-on-one opportunities in addition to the 7-on-7 event.
Breaking Down The Rosters For The Opening Finals
The three-day event will prominently feature recruits from the 2027 class. However, top members of the 2028 class will also be on hand. Alongside the recent OT7 Finals in Los Angeles, The Opening Finals is arguably the top event of the summer.
This week’s event will also serve as the final showing for the Elite 11 finalists. An MVP following this month’s Elite 11 Finals will take place in Oregon.
Here is a rundown of the players expected to participate this week in Oregon. The teams are broken down into 20 players across six squads for the 7-on-7 event.
West
The West squad has plenty of talent featuring many of the top playmakers from across California. Top prospects from Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and Washington also are part of the team. Los Angeles Regional MVPs Donte Wright and Quentin Hale will both represent the West team in Oregon. Wright was previously committed to Georgia but will now play at Miami in college. Hale has been a longtime USC commit. Wright was impressive earlier in June at the OT7 Finals.
The West has two strong quarterbacks led by Brady Edmunds who won the Los Angeles Regional Elite 11 MVP. Ryan Rakowski has been one of the better stories of the offseason. He was the last player invited to the Elite 11 Finals but ended up making the final group.
Cal, under first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi, has the most commits of any college on the West team with three players. Receiver Charles Davis III won the Under Armour Camp MVP this spring. He will be joined by future Bears Jaxsen Stokes and Kamil Loud for the West. Cal is a finalist for CB Hayden Stepp and in the mix for WR Eli Woodard as well.
| PLAYER | POSITION | CLASS | STATE | COMMITTED TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JuJu Johnson | CB | 2027 | CA | UCLA |
| Donte Wright | CB | 2027 | CA | Miami |
| Brady Edmunds | QB | 2027 | CA | Ohio State |
| Quentin Hale | WR | 2027 | CA | USC |
| Kamil Loud | CB | 2027 | NV | Cal |
| Hayden Stepp | CB | 2027 | NV | |
| Charles Davis III | WR | 2027 | CA | Cal |
| Elijah Cromwell | RB | 2028 | CO | |
| Hayden Koo | WR | 2028 | CA | |
| Jordan Hicks | CB | 2028 | CA | |
| Jalen Flowers | S | 2028 | CA | |
| Eli Woodard | WR | 2027 | CA | |
| Allen Kennett V | LB | 2028 | CA | |
| Brandon Nash | S | 2028 | CA | |
| Landon Miller | LB | 2028 | CA | |
| Taven Epps | LB | 2027 | CA | Oklahoma |
| Tytan McNeal | TE | 2028 | WA | |
| Jaxsen Stokes | RB | 2027 | CA | Cal |
| Ryan Rakowski | QB | 2027 | CA | Nevada |
| Jaden Baldwin | WR | 2027 | AZ | Pitt |
Southwest
The Southwest squad is another stacked with talent led by over a dozen prospects from Texas. John Meredith III is a consensus top-five recruit. WR Easton Royal is considered a top-15 prospect by all the major rankings services. Throw in LSU-bound QB Peyton Houston, and the Southwest team has a chance to do some damage in Oregon. Houston shined during the Elite 11 Finals earlier this month in Los Angeles.
He will begin the week in pursuit of the MVP award that will be announced at the culmination of the event. Houston dominated the 7-on-7 tournament at the Elite 11 Finals, and should be in position to do the same in Oregon.
Texas and Texas Tech dominate the list of college programs represented by the Southwest team. The two programs have a combined seven commits on the squad.
| PLAYER | POSITION | CLASS | STATE | COMMITTED TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easton Royal | WR | 2027 | LA | Texas |
| John Meredith III | CB | 2027 | TX | Texas |
| Gabriel Osborne | CB | 2027 | OK | Oklahoma |
| Peyton Houston | QB | 2027 | LA | LSU |
| Kavian Bryant | QB | 2027 | TX | Texas Tech |
| Greedy James Jr. | S | 2027 | TX | Texas |
| Jaylen Addai | WR | 2028 | TX | |
| Jerry Outhouse Jr. | CB | 2027 | TX | UCLA |
| Trenton Yancey | WR | 2027 | TX | Purdue |
| Julian Caldwell | WR | 2027 | TX | Texas Tech |
| Joshua Vilmael | CB | 2027 | TX | Kansas State |
| Trey Martin | RB | 2027 | LA | LSU |
| Jaden Hurndon | WR | 2028 | TX | |
| Benny Easter Jr. | WR | 2027 | TX | Texas Tech |
| James Foster III | S | 2028 | TX | |
| Taelyn Mayo | CB | 2027 | TX | Ole Miss |
| SaRod Baker | RB | 2027 | TX | Texas Tech |
| Zane Rowe | TE | 2027 | TX | Oregon |
| Travion Washington | LB | 2028 | MS | |
| Braylon Williams | LB | 2027 | TX | SMU |
Midwest
Trae Taylor III has been outstanding over the course of the month. He shined at the Elite 11 Finals and heads to The Opening Finals in line to earn the MVP award. The Midwest team doesn’t have as many high-end players as some of the other regions, but it can still be dangerous.
Taylor did not have any bad moments during his three days at the Elite 11 Finals, and was clearly the top performer. He again shined at the OT7 Finals with Cold Hearts with impressive throws that not many other QBs in the class can make. Kentucky commit Jake Nawrot is another QB who has performed well this offseason. The Midwest squad has arguably the best QB tandem of this week’s event.
Jamier Brown will be the top target for the quarterbacks during the 7-on-7 competition. The Ohio State commit is ranked as a five-star in the Rivals Industry Rankings.
Kentucky leads the way with three of its commits on the Midwest roster. Safety Tristin Hughes and LB Sean Fox join Nawrot on that list at The Opening Finals.
| PLAYER | POSITION | CLASS | STATE | COMMITTED TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trae Taylor III | QB | 2027 | NE | Nebraska |
| Jamier Brown | WR | 2027 | OH | Ohio State |
| Jake Nawrot | QB | 2027 | IL | Kentucky |
| Monsanna Torbert | CB | 2027 | OH | |
| Evan Via | CB | 2027 | MO | Stanford |
| Darrell Mattison | CB | 2027 | IL | Ole Miss |
| Myson Johnson-Cook | RB | 2027 | IL | Auburn |
| Deandre Bidden | WR | 2028 | MI | |
| Branden Sharpe | WR | 2027 | IN | Indiana |
| Jameer Miles | LB | 2028 | IL | |
| Ja’Hyde Brown | WR | 2027 | KY | Louisville |
| Jordan Karhoff | TE | 2027 | OH | Virginia Tech |
| Raheem Floyd | CB | 2027 | IL | |
| Brayton Feister | ATH | 2027 | OH | |
| Jackson Parker | S | 2028 | CA | |
| Sean Fox | LB | 2027 | IN | Kentucky |
| Camden Noe | RB | 2028 | MI | |
| Drake Coellner | S | 2028 | IN | |
| Ronnie Gomiller | WR | 2027 | IL | Cincinnati |
| Tristin Hughes | S | 2027 | OH | Kentucky |
South
The South squad will be in a unique position with members of three classes making up its roster. There will, of course, be players from the 2027 class on hand. However, the South will feature 2028 and 2029 prospects as well. Rising sophomores WR Maddox Porter and DB Captain Munnerlyn Jr. will be part of the fray in Oregon.
There will be plenty of emphasis on the quarterback play for the South squad during the 7-on-7 competition. Alabama-bound signal caller Elijah Haven looks the part of a high-level college quarterback already. His big 6-foot-5 frame allows him to make passes with plenty of power behind them. He was particularly impressive with his accuracy during the Elite 11 Finals.
Alongside the Louisiana native will be Clemson commit Kharim Hughley who was impressive as well earlier this month in LA. The Georgia native looks like a running back or linebacker with his 5-foot-11, 205-pound frame. Yet, his ability to make all the throws with accuracy and zip make him an intriguing quarterback prospect.
| PLAYER | POSITION | CLASS | STATE | COMMITTED TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Haven | QB | 2027 | LA | Alabama |
| Jermaine Cobbins | CB | 2028 | TN | |
| Isaac McNeil | LB | 2027 | AL | Auburn |
| Kesean Bowman | WR | 2027 | TN | Tennessee |
| Jayden Miles | RB | 2027 | LA | Florida State |
| Madoxx Davis | ATH | 2028 | GA | |
| Tyler Boyd | CB | 2028 | GA | |
| Adryan Cole | S | 2027 | GA | |
| Ar’Tavian “Bubba” Brown | WR | 2028 | GA | |
| Asa Wall | TE | 2028 | GA | Georgia |
| Kharim Hughley | QB | 2027 | GA | Clemson |
| Trace Washington | LB | 2027 | GA | |
| Drew Williams | LB | 2027 | GA | Kentucky |
| Brandon Allen Jr. | CB | 2027 | GA | Mississippi State |
| Jordan Christie | WR | 2027 | GA | Liberty |
| Caden Waye | RB | 2027 | GA | |
| Kelvin Millington | CB | 2027 | GA | |
| Cedrick Simmons | WR | 2027 | AL | |
| Maddox Porter | WR | 2029 | TN | |
| Captain Munnerlyn Jr. | S | 2029 | AL |
Southeast
The Southeast squad features some of our favorite players to watch perform. That group is led by Miami quarterback commit Israel Abrams. The Illinois-based signal caller was impressive during his time at the Elite 11 Finals earlier this month. He has as much charisma as anyone in the class at the position, and he backs it up with his play.
We love his competitive fire, and his ability to make throws at all three levels stands out as well. As you would expect, there is plenty of talent on a team built on talent from the Southeast. Clemson commit Jamarin Simmons and uncommitted WR Osani Gayles (IMG Academy) will be two players to watch closely in the event. Gayles, in particular, is coming off a standout showing at the OT7 Finals in his native California. He was arguably the best receiver over the course of three days at that event for Raw Miami.
New Texas commit Neimann Lawrence is one of the 2028 recruits playing for the Southeast squad in Oregon. The American Heritage (Plantation, Florida) QB is a top-tier playmaker and will give the team a nice one-two punch at the quarterback position.
| PLAYER | POSITION | CLASS | STATE | COMMITTED TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Israel Abrams | QB | 2027 | IL | Miami |
| Jamarin Simmons | WR | 2027 | FL | Clemson |
| Neimann Lawrence | QB | 2028 | FL | Texas |
| Tae Walden Jr. | CB | 2027 | TN | |
| Ty Keys | RB | 2027 | MS | Miami |
| Amare Patterson | WR | 2027 | SC | North Carolina |
| Braylen Bedford | S | 2028 | TN | |
| Derrell Hines | WR | 2028 | FL | |
| Osani Gayles | WR | 2027 | FL | |
| Christian Alexander | RB | 2027 | MS | Mississippi State |
| Frederrick Ford | LB | 2027 | ||
| Izayah Vickers | CB | 2028 | FL | |
| Tripp Keller | LB | 2027 | FL | Duke |
| Jayvon Dawson | EDGE | 2027 | FL | Miami |
| Stanley Peters Jr. | CB | 2027 | MS | |
| Jaden Carey | CB | 2027 | FL | Ohio State |
| Trae Proctor | TE | 2027 | FL | Kentucky |
| Alan Blackshere | S | 2027 | FL | |
| Jyden German | CB | 2027 | FL | Minnesota |
| Kyren Caldwell | WR | 2027 | FL |
Northeast
The Northeast team has a group made up of a wide range of areas. However, there is plenty of talent among the squad heading into The Opening Finals. It starts at the top with the two quarterbacks on the team. Virginia Tech commit Peter Bourque and Missouri-bound signal caller Braylen Warren were two of the standouts at the Elite 11 Finals.
Bourque was particularly special at the event, and should be in the conversation for MVP. He shined on Day 2 winning both the accuracy challenge and pro day workout events in Los Angeles this moth. His ability to consistently make strong throws and remain out of trouble should help him in the 7-on-7 competition.
Georgia tight end commit Jaxon Dollar is an imposing player at 6-foot-3 and around 230 pounds. He was impressive to watch at the OT7 Finals playing with Raw Miami. Tight end can be a difficult position when it comes to 7-on-7, but he has all the tools to make an impact in The Opening Finals.
| PLAYER | POSITION | CLASS | STATE | COMMITTED TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaxon Dollar | TE | 2027 | NC | Georgia |
| Peter Bourque | QB | 2027 | MA | Virginia Tech |
| Braylen Warren | QB | 2027 | NE | Missouri |
| Phoenix Evans | CB | 2028 | FL | |
| Denario Girton Jr. | S | 2028 | MD | |
| Matthew Gregory | WR | 2027 | PA | UCLA |
| Braylon Clark | WR | 2028 | NC | |
| David Forster | WR | 2028 | NJ | |
| Tahj Gray | LB | 2028 | NJ | |
| Mikahi Allen | LB | 2027 | NJ | |
| Gabe Jenkins | S | 2027 | PA | Colorado |
| Tahmere Brown | RB | 2028 | NJ | |
| JT Geraci | TE | 2027 | NJ | Texas |
| Zachary Gleason | CB | 2027 | PA | West Virginia |
| Kaleb Wosely | CB | 2028 | PA | |
| Jamar Taylor | WR | 2027 | DE | Rutgers |
| Chase Guers | WR | 2027 | PA | |
| Larry Moon III | S | 2027 | PA | |
| Rick Brown III | LB | 2027 | PA | West Virginia |
| Abdul Turay | RB | 2027 | NJ |